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Hey Guys,Most of the posts that Ive read say that you wont need to pull the motor off to replace the steering cables. I have a 99 sabre. I have everything disconnected, and I am trying to pull the old cables out. Its a dual rack, so two cables. The front one (towards the bow) came out of the motors tilt tube with little resistence. The 2nd one I can not get out. I can pull it out from the motor about 4-6″, but the cable is binding up by the rigging hole on the boat.Is there something else I should be doing to get the old cable out? Im thinking that if its this hard to get the old one out, its going to be a real PITA to get the new ones in.If I do end up pulling the motor, will I need to disconnect everything (shift/throttle cables, fuel, oil, battery), or can I get away with moving the motor only slightly without disconnecting?Thanks in advance for the help.Kent
It really depends on the age of things. But with a big outboard, running pretty high, you impose a lot of stress on the internal gearing in the helm. And the gear that engages the cable end really gets worked on. I have worn out a couple of these. Sometimes replacing just the cables will work, but if the helm gears themselves are worn, that will accelerate the wear on the new cable ends and lead to a quicker failure. Since the connection between the wheel and the motor is critical (break a helm and you are going to turn right, right now) I would be tempted to replace everything. If you have any sort of NFB steering that is not mercury-produced, I would certainly replace the entire kit and kaboodle. NFB steering is even harder on the gears since there is a built-in bind to stop the torque feedback except when turning the wheel. I helped a friend replace one last Fall, the cable ends were simply ragged out, but on careful inspection, the gears in the helm were also badly worn. One problem seems to be that as the cable ends wear, that material gets left in the helm, and acts like grit to increase the wear rate. Once the gear teeth become rounded, and then they wear down a bit, you will find cases where at max torque you cant turn the motor, the helm will just “pop” as the gear teeth slip over the teeth on the cable end. A few cycles of that and it is over for steering…2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
YES, As per BCB reccommendations replace both the helm and bezel with the new cables. Its not a matter of $$$, it is concern for the owners, as this is one of the most important points of possible failure with a mechanical system. You have two cables,,,,,,, but one helm, dont disregard, please. If for no other reason than to have a perfectly smooth working steering, all new ! Good luck, D.
I agree with d and ot…the helm gears actually seat over time into the teeth on the cable and changing one without the other from Ive heard usually causes it to then wear out again prematurely. So when I replaced the cables on my 93 PII I made sure to change the helm also. Deke[font="]Deke[/font]
Nuff Said! We have no more to add… BCB
I had to pull the motor to get my new cables in on my old pantera 2. No need to disconnect anything other than the mounting bolts for me. A litte bit of movement went a long way! Dont forget to torque the mounting bolts!
Thanks GL1. Did you use a cherry picker?
Yes to the cherry picker. On the BRP that was on that boat, and mercs as well, the best way is to use a lifting bracket bolted into the flywheel.
I assume you have manual jack plate , if so raise it all the way up, as you pull the out of tubes , also pull on cables so it will feed a little to you. This is exactly the way I changed cables on 88 p2 200xp rude, cmc jackplate
Loosen one side and remove the bolts on one side and pivot the motor on the mounting bolts.
Good suggestions from both. With access to “government jobs” in a machine shop and a cherry picker, it was easiest to just lift the motor up. The difference in the new lubed cables was astonishing.
Guys, Thanks for all the help!! I really appreciate it! LA Elwood also sent me a very helpful PM on how to do this for those of you that pull this up in a search:” disconnected everything first……then if you pull real hard [from the transom end, pull the cables out of the boat so you get about 4ft of slack] you can get enough slack in the cable to remove the push bars from the motor….you will actually pull the rack into the hole below the consol so make sure you tie a rope to it. Once you get the push bars out put the rack out from the rear with rope attached so that you can pull the new one back through the same route the old one came out. Take your time and you will get a few scrape from trying to wedge everything around the rear corner of the boat. Take the vent off and you will be able to get an extra hand under the top cap. As you are pulling the rope to get the rack back to the console put the push bars back in the motor and as someone pulls on the rack you push on the cable to reseat it back in the rear opening. Conect everything under the consol and on the motor and you are good to go.”
Just went through this on my 96 PII to lube the cables.-Loosen motor to jack plate bolts (leave nuts on)-Loosen jack plate side bolts so you can change height (mark jack plate height setting first)-Floor jack under lower unit with piece of wood to protect it-Turn steering so rods going into motor are fully retracted – shortest lengthBetween adjusting the jack plate height, moving motor on the loose bolts (wood shims on one side between motor and jack plate), and using the trim, I was able to get the right angle of the dangle to get the rods in / out without too much heartache.
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